Countless honors for bravery, skill and good conduct have passed through the gates of Fort Lewis (Wash.) over the years. But here's an achievement that might be a first for the local Army post: It has one of America's 51 "Hottest Bachelors of 2008," according to Cosmopolitan magazine.He is Sgt. Mat Vance, a 26-year-old Stryker soldier who returned from a 15-month deployment to Iraq a year ago and is likely headed back.Vance said he thought his sister was kidding earlier this year when she said she wanted to nominate him for the sexy singles contest.When Cosmo later called to tell the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division cavalryman that he was a semifinalist, "my jaw dropped and I said, 'Are you serious?'"A native of Woodbridge, Va. who now lives in South Tacoma, Wash., suspects his status as a soldier and war veteran may have something to do with making the cut. A magazine spokeswoman confirmed he's the only active-duty soldier on the list.Vance already made one trip to New York for a photo shoot, and he returns next week for appearances with the other 50 men and the announcement of "Bachelor of the Year." The winner of on-line balloting that concluded earlier this week gets $10,000.Needless to say, his Army buddies have plenty of material to give him grief."Oh yeah, the guys are going nuts about it," he said. "They make comments like, 'Look how pretty you look' and things like that."But if you expect Vance to start bragging about his prowess as a swinging single, you might be in for a long wait."I honestly don't know" why the magazine picked him, he said last week. "I'm still a little shocked that I get to represent the state of Washington. You might want to ask them why they picked me."Much of the credit goes to the nomination letter written by Heather Younce, Vance's older sister back in Manassas, Va.Younce said last week that all her friends growing up used to say how cute her brother was. She says he'd make a great catch for some lucky girl some day.But sex appeal isn't what prompted Younce to nominate her younger sibling."I didn't focus on the hottest bachelor part. I just focused on that he's a great person all around," she said. "We've been through a lot together growing up. He's the only person who can make me laugh so hard that I start crying. He finds good in all things."Vance re-enlisted in the Army for a second tour earlier this month. The Pentagon recently announced that the 3rd Brigade is likely to deploy to Iraq again, sometime in 2009.Until then, he will make the most of his venerable bachelorhood at some of his favorite local haunts, such as Engine House No. 9 on North Pine Street in Tacoma."There's a lot of cities around here that are good for night life," he said. "We always joke about how if you want to get rowdy, you go to Tacoma. Olympia is a great place to go for great local bands.""This is a great state," he added. "I'm having a lot of fun out here."(Contact Matt Misterek at matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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